Crafts

Flower Arranging Class

On the third Saturday of each month, from 1 to 3 p.m., the East Hawaii Cultural Center (141 Kalakaua Street, Hilo) puts on free classes in floral arranging. Neighbor NJ made this beautiful arrangement recently. It is a lot of fun. Participants bring a little of everything, and share. At the end of class, arrangements are displayed and discussed. Beginners are welcome and experienced arrangers are on hand to assist.

Yes, Potato Stamps.

I'm not sure what got into me, yesterday. There we were at Wal-Mart, and I was looking at the wrapping paper, and I just had this moment of . . . yuck. I didn't like any of it. I decided then and there that I wanted to make my own. With Mr. Logistical at my side, doing the heavy lifting, we hit the office supply aisle and found brown kraft paper. Perfect. Now I just needed a potato, and paint.

Once home, I volunteered Mr. Logistical to do the potato-carving. As I have mentioned before, my knife skills aren't that great -- if these stamps were going to be recognizable, I was not the ideal person to carve them.

One potato makes two stamps. If you haven't done this project since the third grade, here are instructions.

All done . . .

I also went with a grosgrain ribbon, in an attempt to keep a more rustic look. If you decide to try this, here are some tips:

You need a really big table, or a couple of card tables, put together.Weigh the ends of the paper down (it wants to curl up).In our humid climate, it took hours to dry. Hanging it over doors worked pretty well. Next time, I might get out a paintbrush and add some contrasting color. Have fun!

NJ's Pineapple Painting

This is my friend and neighbor, NJ.

A retired art teacher, she painted this expressionistic pineapple while she painted the interior of her house. As she went along, she “cleaned off her brushes” on her canvas – and let her imagination carry her along.

Needless to say, the picture looks wonderful in her living room, as it picks up all of the beautiful Hawaiian earth-tone palette.

The real pineapple was grown in her backyard. Her husband makes the best fruit salads, so I know where it is headed. I appreciate her allowing to me share this painting.

Halloween Candy Lei

Not being particularly skilled at crafts, I like ones that I can't screw up. It's pretty hard to screw up a candy lei. An added advantage is that everyone likes them. Last night I made a bunch for the neighbor boys, in anticipation of Halloween. Instructions and photos follow.

Step 1.

Cut a piece of netting 45" long, and start stuffing candies into it. Tie at intervals with ribbon.

Step 2.

Continue stuffing candies into the netting, leaving 3" at each end. See what I mean? You cannot screw this up.

Step 3. Tie ends together.

Ready to present! The proper way to wear a lei is to wear gently draped over the shoulders. A lei is a symbol of affection for a person. The recipient should never refuse. But why would they?

Soap!

I really wish there a way for you to smell these soaps. From left: Citrus Burst (which has orange peels in it), Zesty Ginger, and on the right, Healing Neem and Citrus. These delightful soaps are made in Kea'au by EcoConsciousWear. I bought up all of them at Abundant Life the other day and am anxiously awaiting the next batch. What I really love about them: They contain bamboo powder, which makes a wonderful, natural exfoliant. I am hoping to score a field trip to Eco-ConsciousWear so that I can show you the process. If you want to order some, contact them at ecoconsciouswear@gmail.com.

Hawaii-Themed Thank-You Cards

It was a dark and stormy night. That was followed by a dark and stormy day. Since I couldn’t go outside, I decided to do some crafting. Also, I needed to write several thank-you notes, but I didn’t like the “prefab” cards I had.

Most third-graders are much better than I am at crafts, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to do them once in a while.

Off to Ben Franklin I went. The problem I have is that once I set foot in a craft store, I look at stenciling, or candy molds, and think oooooo I could do that. I have met people who have craft rooms in their houses. I have a craft box, which keeps my Ben Franklin mania in check.

I spent $14.47 on a pack of 50 cards/envelopes, the decorative flowers, and a matching pen. That worked out to .28 a card, which made me happy because (a) that’s cheap for a card, (b) I think they’re kinda cute, and (c) the project kept me out of trouble for an hour.